Tom Abbott’s latest CD Puppet Boy is a solid exercise in cool music, his lead vocal a smooth neo hippie cool. With a mellow vibe surrounding each of his tracks, Abbott keeps the engaging melodies, harmonies, and grooves percolating. A touch of angst in his natural vocal timbre turns each of his songs into a plaintive cry, an emotional plea. Indie rock this soulful is a refreshing change. Songwriter Abbott plays the guitars while keyboardist Stuart M.V.S. Ryerece, drummer Avery Logan, and bass player Matthew Okun round out the band.
Opening track “Hello” breezes in with mellow acoustic guitar, simmering organ, and an easeful groove that feels like classic rock in its smoky room vibe. Then, the tune establishes a more modern identity with Abbott rocking out on acoustic guitar. Abbott’s rapid vocalizing makes this song intense. It revs up even more as the rhythm section keeps up with his nervous pace.
“8 Hours” piles even more delicious angst upon this album. Abbott’s plaintive voice, in a contemplative mode, hovers above a twitchy lead guitar line, making his forlorn hopes a startling focal point. With his acoustic guitar locked into a bulbous groove with his rhythm section, Abbott turns up the heat with this rocker. A lead guitar cries through much of this with its own driving emotion, making this a tune one can feel as well as rock out to.
“Fake Punk” finds Abbott racing through with a swift electric-acoustic guitar mesh beneath his excited boy pace. That guitar plays so fast its notes sound almost like distorted feedback over a kicking, unstable, beastly groove. It is basically a breakneck intro to “(It’d Be Nice) To Feel Wanted Again.” Here, a lilting vocal melody oozes over a slightly slapping acoustic guitar’s chord progression. Abbott’s gentle voice and deep coos and piano support maintain a jaunty pace that expresses his lyrical mix of pretty and sarcastic.
“Happy” feels Beatlesquie in its heavy acoustic guitar and in Abbott’s slow, deliberate unraveling of his lyrics, taking time emitting his thoughts in a large open space. A cavalcade of instruments suddenly come in, widens the song, and Abbott’s philosophical musings find a good home amidst a tossing of harmony vocals, drum rolls, piano tinkling, and a warm acoustic guitar.
“Zombies” bops along an amicable path. Abbott’s vocal skips and coos over a bumpy, fun groove. Abbott’s rapid vocal pace pulls the listener as much as anything else going on in this. This one just keeps perking with many notes, drum fills and rolls, and hyper, neurotic vocals.
“Hello Reprised” returns to this album’s opening greet. Here, it’s rushed forward with zealous playing, a quirky, interesting break in the middle of the album. Abbott, again, rocks in his own way, a lot of notes at once coming from each instrument. It’s rowdy fun time.
Title track “Puppet Boy’ gets an eerie tone from a loose, freewheeling piano line. Abbott’s lyrical worship of this Puppet Boy, contrasted with that piano line from an other worldly source, makes for a dramatic high point in the album. Adept work from the rhythm section injects enough motion to make this feel as intense as a log runner trying not to fall in the water.
Bursting into action with a simmering organ, “Anastasia” combines a 1960s party vibe with modern rock energy. While the organ can keep the hippie chicks swaying, a driving beat, slapping guitar work, and Abbott’s voice riding over all make this a winner. Abbott’s emotive content become a banner for this song, tying it perfectly to the highflying drama.
“Lemonade” feels like an old time front porch gathering of informal acoustic players. Its homey trappings are augment by a burbling lead guitar phrase. In this setting, Abbott applies his plaintive mourn, a voice that feels tortured enough to create good art. Eventually, this song has moved away form its initial approach to rock out with each player pressing out rambunctious instrumentation. It’s a good build up and a nice finish to an ever increasing vocal edge.
A hint of menace grows, lurching forward from a rhythm section to lead guitar mash up on “Fly On The Wall.” A squealing lead guitar phrase makes one feel the angst as Abbott’s sweet-sour vocal timbre spreads itself out with aplomb. This one works because it makes the listener feel the danger of being the creature in the song title.
Beginning a cappella turns “Together Alone” into a mindful ballad with plenty of soul coming from the vocal. Abbott rings the sadness out of this tune while also making it hopeful. He breezes through this one like a sail riding the wind. Beneath his cool vocal are polite, unobtrusive piano, acoustic guitar, and rhythm section touches, just enough muscle to move it along, leaving space for Abbott to emote about personal struggles.
.“I’m Too Tired” swaggers in with an infectious groove. Abbott pivots, placing each vocal line into each opening left by the hip backbeat. As the rhythm boys and Abbott stomp forward, the lead guitar crushes out a mean crust of grist over the other instruments. This makes Abbott’s vocal feel like the softer filling inside a great sandwich.
The boys go up tempo with a flying organ line and a smacking action groove on close out track, “Goodbye.” Feeling like a 1960s party vibe, Abbott uses the motion to sing in a tight pace, keeping this whole thing on a direct missile strike. Switching to soft vocal over gentle acoustic six string adds even greater substance.
Tom Abbott works wonders within his indie rock format, using a neo hippie vibe and cool music to reach multiple generations. Everyone from Grateful Dead fans to Beck fans might find something here to quench their thirst for substantially good rock music. Whipped up at Dimension Sound Studios in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Abbot, mixer Joe Stewart, mastering man Dan Cardinal get a thick, punchy sound out of each vocal and each instrument. Puppet Boy is quite a good work.
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tom-abbott/
